Car-door and step operating mechanism.



No. 870,051 PATETJTED NOV.

H. RDWNTREB. GAR DQUR AND STEP OPERATING MECHMUSM.

APPLICATION IL-ED 1119.333, H01.

M Snucul'o:

M- meb PATI TNTED NOV. 5. 1907.

H. ROWNTREB. STEP OPERATING MBCEANISM.

GAB. DOOR AND APPLICATION 'iiLZZD HAY 13.1907.

Z r Huucnl'o: Zn litmus 2 g UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLDROWNTREE. OF CHICAGO. ILLINOIS. .xssioxon T nunourr-iunvx'rmar: MANU- FACTURING Or on lCAuO, ILLINOIS, oonmnxrrox or ILLINOIS.

"AR DOOR AND STEP OPERATING MECHANISM.

pecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1907.

Minimum tiled May 13.1907. SerialNo 373.370.

Invention in Car Door and Step ()pernti ,mhanism of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to car door nnd sto opvmtmg mechanism.

The object of the invention is to provide means which are simple in construction and (."lpipnt i ntion for moving a car step into or out of iti f use coincidently with the opening or Clonin f h car door. A further object is to provide menus wh b car step is moved into or out of position fo use i ddently with the opening or closing mow f the car door, the rate of movement of tho at "flying i constant rstio with relation to the movem t d of the oor.

A further object is to provide means wh b h a car door is moved to open position at tnmnble step is automatically moved into usable position and wh n the door is closed the step is moved out. of bl i.

tion the movement of the step being grudunu initiated and accelerated.

A further ob cct is to provide mechanism having con-' neetion with a car door and also with n movable stop whereby both the-door and thc stop nmy b r d thereby.

'80 Other objects of the invention will np mum f ll hereinafter.-

The invention consists substantiully in th onstruction, Combination, location and rehuirc nrmngcment of parts all as will he more fully heroimu r t forth,

as shown in the accompanying druwiuus and finally pointed out. in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, and to the various views and reference signs np fi h Figure I, is a view in side elevation of n d a 40 movable step and mechanism for tllfl luing Said 1 ad step, and embodying the principlcs oi nw invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing lii' d struction embraced within the spirit and scope of my invention. Fig. 3 is a broken dciuil end view of the step showing the hinged connection lhon oi 1n the use of car doors and assm-iulml mo bl skips sad mcdianism for operating the more as heretofore employed, especially when: the door rind step are moved together, the former into open or l 1 iti and the latter into or out of position for use gsnddcn increase of power to nmvcihc put-in is im osed upon the opcrating'mm-hanism at the instant the step stark to move. thereby causing no uncvon n d i bl motion of the door, due to the initial retarding and th subsequent abnprmnl cfiect produced. Thi i ni from said cylinder.

ulurly trnc \vhcrc pncunmlic opcmting means are cutploycd. During the rclitrding cllcct caused by inure. in suddenly upon the pncunmlic motor the work of initially starting the movement of the stop, the o ysting medium is building up pressure in the motor while the rule of movcincnt oi the door is dccrcnsed. After this retarding cll'cct is overcomc and the movement of the step is accelerated the built up prcssurc in the motor causes an unduly rapid movenn-nt oi the door and step and s. subscqucnt slum. It is among the special purposes of my invention to avoid these objections and to this cud. 1 provide int-nus for picking up the step gradually and smoothly thereby avoiding the imposition of a. sudden increase of work upon the operating means at lhe insmnt the coincident movement oi the door and the step is initidtcd, thereby securing a smooth and regular movement of the door and a relative movement of the door and step in a constantly varying ratio. Many specifically dili'cring rncansmny be employed for accomplishing these desimble results. While. therefore, I have shown and will now describe various constructions for the purpose I desire it to be understood that my invention is not to be limited or restricted. in its broadest scope to the specilic details shown and now to be described. 30

Referring to Fig. 1, reference sign A designates-s car door, which, in this instance is a sliding door, and B;-is the movable car stcp, in this instant-c a pivoted folding step. My invention, hou'ovcr, is not to be liuiited to a sliding door, nor to a folding step. The door and the step may he opcralcd in many different ways. I have shown one arrangement wherein a power cylinder (3, is employed, a. valve 1) controlling the supply and exhaust oi opcrnting mcdium to and The door is opemtcd by means of a. rock lover I, pivoially mounted :it one end and having sliding connection at the other end to the door. A rod E, connects the lover I, with piston rod F, of the motor cylinder. 1 -'l actuating rod G, is connected at one cud to the cur sic; 4' ll, and at the other end at J,

to om. arm of a bell c-snik lever K, pivot-ally mounted as at L. To the other .LTL oi said lever is connected a. link Ill, prov idcd with an elongated slot N, in which upgrates a, in 0, on the door operating lever P. The valve B may l)( controlled in any suitable or convcn- I00 icnt manner, as for instance, by means of a control levcr It, and inlcrmwlintc conncwtions S.

In the position oi the parts shown in hill lines in Fig. l, the door is closed and the stop is lolded up, out of the any but in position to move by its own weight into position for use when the door is opened the arrangementbcing such that as the door lx-gius to open the step begins to move by gravity into usable position. Now when the mom! is operated to open the door, or to move the some to open p-. sition, as indicated 1 10 l l i r in dotted lines, the operating lever P, hogins its rocking movemout and the stop lit-gins its movement to us'ahio position, but: in case the step, for any i'( .tson. should stick in its f lded up position then wlo-n the length of the slot X, has been tt'avt od by pin t), tltot-ontinttod r t-hing movonn-nt ol' lover I, will t'zLiSt! boll t'lttllli lever .1. to lnrot-Rod about its pivot l.. and the rod ii, to ho pt'ojootod In a dit'ttllott to ozttlst. the stop U. to he moved into position tor u e. it will he observed that when the tep oi-t-upios its p sition for use the point It; l'l llliittlitlll J, of rod ii, iii llt'll t'lfllll'i lover h, tlto point oi vonnot-t ion ll, of said rod with the stop, and the pivot l.. of the bell crank lover, are all practically in the same straight line. tonseqnontiy when it is desired to again close tho door and move the step out ol' position for use, or in-ot the position indicated by dotted litns into position indicated by full lines, after the length oi slot X has been again traversed by the pit- Ut but in the reverse direction from that. above mentioned the initial tno\'onn-nt of the step towards folded up osition lit-gins vot lowly. by reason of the arrangonn-nt of tho connection as above explained, and hence a smooth gradual pick up of the step s et't'ected without imposing it suddenly increased load upon the door moving means, and honco insuring -a smooth, uniform and certain movement of the door towards cloSod position without shock or jar. It will also he Sttil that in the beginning the movomont oi tho door will eii ta. very slight ltltn't'tttottl oi the step, but as the door approaches its closed position tho rate of movement. oi the stop increases in constant ratio of acceleration relative t the movement f tho do r. lly providing the slot X, tho door is allowed to partially close before tho stop begins to move.

in the modiliod form of omlnulinn-nt of my invention shown itt Fig. 2.ill(lll1 f;\. stop 13, motor C, controller R, t'oltltot'l ions h. valve l), door opt-rating lover I, rod l-l, piston st in l", and stop oporating rod (i, remain praelit-ally and substantially the same as above described with ret't-rotn-o to the construction and oporzo tion point d out in oonnortion with Fig. 1. Instead other end tapered, as indicated at M. A pin or stud N, on the door operating lever .1, is designed to ride over the upper oil of tlto lever K, as clearly indicated in the drawing and through the rocking movenu-nt oi tholovor K. the desired Uilt'lilll 'il of the stop oilootod, tho stop being folded up or mow-d out: of p sition for use hy the pin or projm-tion X, titling or bearing upon the upper edge ol' the lover K. Who" the door reaches its hall closed position the pin .or projection N, is just beginning to become effective to rock lover K, and as tho door continues to move towards closed p sition, the movemen of the stop boing towards folded up position is initiated,-sueh move moot. being very slight. at the beginning but as the door approaches its fully closed position the more rapidly the step will be moved. 'ihus i also sot-ore in this Iona ofappamtus a gratlnal pit-k up of tho stop and an increin its speed of movolnottt in constant ratio of acceleration relative to the movement of the the step would lend to accelerate the movement of the do r in closing aml therefore to offset this rcsulhl acoo'n-rato the speed of movement of the stop relatively to tho speed oi the door and consequently secure an -von cl sing lliuYt'llt ltl oi the door.

it is obvious that many Ulllt? specifically different t-onstrtn-tions and arrangements might readily occur to pers ns skilled in tlnart and still lull within the spirit and scope of my invention. I do not desire therefore, in the broad scope oi my invention, to be limited and restriotod to the exact and specific dot-ails shown and described. llut having shown and described various forms and constructi ns of ombodin-icnts and having described the same. and the purpose, function and mode oi operation thereof,

What I claim as new and ttsciul and of my own invention is:-

i. The combination with u ear door and a movable step, of means whereby as the door closes the step is moved, out f position for use. the movement of the step being lnitiatt-tl slowly and thereafter in constant; ratio of acceleration relative to the movement at the door.

2. The combinati n with a car door and a movable step, of means for gradually initiating a coincident retracting moremont of the stop as the door closes. I

3. The combination with a car door and a. movable ste' of operating means for the door and mechanism whereby said optatio: means gradually initiates a retracing movement of the step as the door closes.

' t. The 'ohtlllnztli lll with a car door and a movable step,

of intermediate.connections for causing coincident m0ve-- meat of said (loot and step, said intermediate connections ottet-tin; a gradual initial movement of the step as the door closes.

5. The combination with a car door and a movable step, of intermediate connections for coincident. movement of said door and step, and means whereby said connections cil'oeban initial closing movement 0! the door \vtth'odt effecting a movement. oi the step.

6. The combination with :1 car door and a movable step, of intermediate connections for causing coincident movement. oi the door and step when the door is closed, said moans operating to accelerate the movement of the step as tho door approaches its closed position.

T. The combination with a car door, a. motor, and connections a luatt-d by tho tin-tor [or moving the door, of a month". car step, a link connected thereto for moving the same. said link having an elongated slot, and a. pin carried by the door moving connections and operating in said sink.

a. The combination with a car door, and a pivoted lever having sliding l'llinlltlllll! with the door. whercby, when said lever is rocked the doc: is moved, or a. step, connections operated by said lever for moving the step, and a mot r for melting said lever.

9, The t-olttillhztlluu with a car door, and :t pivoted lever vim-s intermediate the lever and step for initially moving \he shi at a slow rate oi speed and thereafter accelerating the rule of speed ul such movement when said lever is "Ul'lfl'l.

ll. 'lhe emnhinaiiun with a ear (1001 and a pivuted lever fur IllHYin: the same. uf x mm'nhle step, an operating red liu-rel'ur. a hell rrank lever in uiie arm m which said rod is mnnevlc-d. and linl: eunneeled lo the nlher arm of said he rrnnk lever and having a pin and 14.1! connection with lhlllunl u lul'nli h\'(i.

iL. 'ihe emnlnnallon \riih ear duur and moving lever iherelmz ul :1 m-wahie siep. a hell crank lever, a rail eunnm-l in; said slop and hell (rank lever, a link also connected in said hell :nmi: ierer. and prurided with an elongated sl l. pin earried by the (iuui' nmving lever. and operaiing in said slui. and means for actuating said dainmoving h-rer.

2%. The llflllbilllnli ll iriih a movable czu dam and siep ul' lnlerlnedlalu pivoied connections between the door and i nri'luluwi to he brought into practical dead center when the door is for nae.

The nnhlnaucn with a movable car door and step ui a rml liming pivoted eonnecllou with the step. pi hi'inediaie the "d and door, the points of pivvllnns of said dcrlecs adapled to be ln'u'dfi l'lhP \vllh \lieh mher when the step is in nsnhle pusiflun.

15. The enmhinniinn \rlih a movable car door and a nlv- "'l' mu! means whereby as the v leqlm'ed more lim (103i cases (he speed at mnvenieut of the D es relative to the nn. ement ut the door.

In i-nlliuuny whereof lhare hereunto set my hand n i w: of the suhseribing witnesses, on this 29th he n. 1901.

- HAROLD ROWNTREE. 'lllluflnexg;

i R iluan'. I .lnshru KLEIN. v

open and the step in puslflon 

